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1987 German Grand Prix
26 July |officialname = XLIX Mobil Großer Preis von Deutschland |circuit = Hockenheimring |location = Hockenheim, West Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 6.797 |laps = 44 |distance = 299.068 |pole = Nigel Mansell |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:42.616 |fastestlap = 1:45.716 |fastestlapdriver = Nigel Mansell |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 24 |winner = Nelson Piquet |winnernation = BRA-1968 |winnerteam = |second = Stefan Johansson |secondnation = SWE |secondteam = |third = Ayrton Senna |thirdnation = BRA-1968 |thirdteam = }} The 1987 German Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XLIX Mobil Großer Preis von Deutschland, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring on the 26 July 1987.'German GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr444.html, (Accessed 03/04/2019) The race would see Nelson Piquet secure his first victory of the campaign at the midway point of the season, as well as the lead in the Championship. The race followed a series on in-season tests for the teams, which saw Ayrton Senna miraculously escape uninjured from a high-speed tyre failure at the Hockenheimring. The failure, thought to have been caused by the additional stress of running at high speed throughout a lap of the Hockenheimring, resulted in Goodyear bringing a revised tyre compound for the Grand Prix. Regardless, everyone including Senna would arrive for qualifying without issue, with the Brazilian falling a quarter of a second shy of pole. Indeed, Nigel Mansell was the man to beat in both wet and dry conditions during practice, with Senna second ahead of fellow title rivals Alain Prost and Piquet. It was Senna who led at the start of the race, however, with the Brazilian sprinting ahead of Mansell, Prost and Piquet into the first corner. Indeed, Mansell would almost slip behind both Prost and Piquet into the opening corner, and would only manage to hold onto second due to the 's superior power. A lap later and Mansell had also powered past Senna to claim the lead, before blasting away from the Brazilian who appeared to be driving within himself. Both Prost and Piquet would take the with ease on laps two and three respectively, leaving Senna to fade away in a lonely fourth. Prost, meanwhile, would charge onto the back of Mansell, before sweeping past the Brit early on lap seven. He duly led until his stop on lap nineteen, taking fresh tyres, although Mansell would slip back behind the Frenchman when he stopped on lap 23. Prost used his four lap tyre advantage to build a lead over Mansell, and seemed set to claim victory when the Brit's engine failed two laps later. Yet, Prost's race was to come to an end in the closing stages, with an alternator belt snapping to leave the without any electrical supply. That promoted Piquet to the lead of the race, with the Brazilian duly cruising home to claim the win ahead of Stefan Johansson. Senna, meanwhile, would finish a distant third, while an attrition heavy race, saw Philippe Streiff, Jonathan Palmer and Philippe Alliot all score points despite using non-turbocharged engines. Victory moved Piquet into the lead of the Championship, opening out a four point lead over Senna. Mansell and Prost, meanwhile, had slipped nine and thirteen points behind respectively, while Williams-Honda extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship. Background Ayrton Senna had retained the lead in the Championship with his podium finish at Silverstone, although he now had two, rather than one, driver within a point of him. Indeed, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet were level on 30 points to the Brazilian's 31 arriving in Germany, with Mansell ahead of his teammate courtesy of his three wins. Alain Prost, meanwhile, had lost ground as he dropped to fourth in the UK, although he was still within five points of Senna. , meanwhile, had extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship, having scored their second consecutive one-two on home soil. were still their closest challengers, although their failure to score meant that were just two behind them in third arriving at the Hockenheimring. Indeed, with 39 points to Lotus' 37, it seemed likely that the Anglo-German squad were in a fight for second, with Williams-Honda out of immediate reach on 60. Jonathan Palmer had extended his lead in the Jim Clark Trophy on home soil last time out, with his tally of 42 leaving him ten clear of his nearest challenger. That challenger appeared in the form of Pascal Fabre, while Palmer's teammate Philippe Streiff had slipped to third. In the Colin Chapman Trophy, meanwhile, had again extended their lead at Silverstone, leaving the home race 40 clear of . Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Capelli would start from the pit lane after an issue on the formation lap. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Prost was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† Brundle was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance. Milestones * entered their tenth race as a constructor.'1987 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 03/04/2019) * Nigel Mansell recorded his tenth pole position.'8. Germany 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 03/04/2019) ** This was also the 50th pole for a car using #5 as its race number. * Eighteenth career victory for Nelson Piquet. * 35th win for as a constructor. ** Also their 90th podium finish. ** Engine partners secured their 22nd victory. Standings Nelson Piquet claimed the lead in the Championship after his first victory of the season, moving four clear of compatriot Ayrton Senna in second. The younger Brazilian ace also had a small lead over his closest pursuer, Nigel Mansell having slipped five behind, while Alain Prost was a further four back on 26. Yet, while the Frenchman was now thirteen off the lead, it seemed as if the Championship fight would remain a four horse race as the season ticked past the halfway point. , meanwhile, had once again extended their lead, with Piquet's triumph meaning they had won half the season's races so far. were still their closest challengers, albeit some 24 points behind, while had lost ground in third, ending the weekend on 41. Elsewhere, were a distant fourth, were a surprise fifth, while had moved ahead of the well funded team. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy Another second place for Jonathan Palmer ensured that he held his lead in the Jim Clark Trophy as the season reach the halfway point, holding 48 points. His teammate Philippe Streiff, meanwhile, had climbed back into second, nine off the Brit, while Fabre slipped to third having failed to score. In the Colin Chapman Trophy, meanwhile, it was still advantage , as another one-two left them on 87 points. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:German Grand Prix